This invention relates to an apparatus for processing fluid such as oxygenator and dialyser and, more particularly, to an apparatus for processing fluid for pumping fluid through a fluid processor and a method of driving the same apparatus.
In a prior art apparatus for processing fluid, for example a hollow fiber type oxygenator used for effecting gas exchange between carbon dioxide in blood and oxygen, uses a roller pump as blood circulation pump. This pump is provided separately from the oxygenator body.
With the prior art hollow fiber type oxygenator, however, it is necessary in use to connect the oxygenator body and roller pump to each other with tubing or tubes to assemble a system. The assembling is very time-consuming and cumbersome. In addition, an increased area of the system is necessary for setting the system. Further, when the roller pump is used, cracking is liable to be generated in tubes due to squeezing of tubes for long time, thus giving rise to such problems as leakage and contamination of blood. Further, blood is liable to be stagnated in blood in- or out-flow space. Particularly, in extracorporeal circulation without use of any agglomeration-resistant agant, thrombus is generated due to such blood stagnation, leading to hazardous clogging of the hollow fibers of the oxygenator.
Further, in ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which mostly uses V-A and V-V bypasses, with the use of the roller pump a vein reserver or a negative pressure absorption chamber is provided to buffer excessive suction due to forced blood removal by the roller pump and then prevent sticking of cateter for blood removal to the vein wall. Such vein reserver or negative pressure absorption chamber, however, can not be provided in the case of extracorporeal circulation without use of any agglomeration-resistant agent because of possible generation of thrombus due to stagnation of blood in the circuit.